India is facing rapid urbanization, with a significant percentage of the population now living in urban areas. In 2020, India’s urban population stood at 34.93%. However, this rapid urbanization also has negative consequences, mostly because of poor urban planning, lack of infrastructure and inadequate housing. Due to these inadequacies, the urban poor in India lives in overcrowded slums where access to basic amenities such as water, electricity and proper sanitation are limited, if present at all. With limited infrastructure and unequal access to health care and education, people find themselves trapped in the cycle of poverty with few chances of escape. However, organizations such as Apnalaya work to assist the urban poor and improve their quality of life.
About Apnalaya
Founded in 1973, Apnalaya is an NGO that aids the urban poor in India, in particular, the slums of Mumbai, by providing access to the essential services necessary for the population to thrive. With 76 staff members, Apnalaya’s focal sectors consist of education, “health, rights protection [and] economic empowerment,” with the overall aim of enabling the most impoverished citizens to live “a better quality of life.”
Apnalaya’s mission and impact have reached the hearts of many, inspiring people to support the cause. Apnalaya’s supporters include the HT Parekh Foundation, the University of Oxford, United Way and Dasra. Additionally, Apnalaya has received aid from a famous cricket star, Sachin Tendulkar, who sponsors 200 children annually through the organization. Apnalaya has gained recognition for its work on a national level, receiving the Champion Level – GuideStar India Platinum award in 2017 due to its impressive “levels of transparency and public accountability.”
The Mission
Apnalaya’s mission is to provide essential services, health care access and educational opportunities as well as training through mentor-led programs to assist people in becoming self-sufficient. Another key part of Apnalaya’s work is civic engagement and advocacy. Apnalaya advocates for the government to provide more resources to improve conditions in the slums of Mumbai while simultaneously leading sessions to help the urban poor learn how to advocate for their own rights.
The Health Programme
Apnalaya’s Health Programme helps break the cycle of poverty by educating people about children’s health issues, maternal health and disability identification, among other core issues. Apnalaya also facilitates access to government health care services and provides community information on how to seek the necessary health care. Since 2010, the Health Programme has aided in decreasing the percentage of underweight children in the slums of Mumbai from a staggering 60% to 40% while increasing the rate of hospital births from 71% to a high of 98%. Additionally, in the past four years, Apnalaya has played a role in boosting immunization rates from 29% to 73%.
The Education and Livelihood Programme
The Education and Livelihood Programme of Apnalaya works to inculcate vital skills in the youth and adults in order to improve their financial situations and increase employment opportunities. Apnalaya also plays an integral role in breaking cultural barriers for women whose families restrict them from working. Apnalaya provides sewing classes and training to these women in an effort to provide skills they can use to earn money. The organization also establishes Self Help groups, which have led to almost 210 female members receiving economic benefits due to the valuable information and advice.
Apnalaya believes education is necessary in order to break the cycle of poverty and increase chances of employment while becoming informed citizens. Apnalaya’s Education and Livelihood Programme also works to provide education, vocational training and entrepreneurial opportunities. Since 2014, the program has given monetary assistance to support the education of 750 children “while providing income-generating opportunities to [more than] 1,100 youth and women.
Citizenship and Advocacy Programme
Oftentimes, the urban poor in India and other places face marginalization and their governments overlook them, debilitating their ability to improve their circumstances and make their voices heard. Many of the people living in these slums are migrants. Additionally, the official “census and other official surveys often do not account for them, which further silences their voices and the voice of the community at large. Apnalaya’s Citizenship and Advocacy Programme works to empower people to become self-sufficient informed citizens who are aware of their rights. This program helps communities identify their challenges and helps them express their issues to the government. As of 2018, the initiative has provided civic action training to almost 180 people, thus broadly impacting 18,300 people overall.
Besides inspiring community members to take action, Apnalaya itself advocates on behalf of these individuals to the government for an increased number of essential services. Apnalaya also works with other organizations and creates awareness about urban poverty through social media.
While urban poverty in India is still a dire issue, NGOs like Apnalaya are continuing to fight for the voiceless, working to create a society where every individual, regardless of economic status, has access to the basic amenities to fulfill their basic needs and guarantee their core human rights.
– Shikha Surupa
Photo: Pixabay
Expo 2020 Dubai Addresses Global Poverty
Expo 2020 Dubai is a gathering of 192 countries each presenting and offering an opportunity to experience their culture, food and innovations. It is the latest of a World Expo tradition that began in London in 1851 as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. Expo 2020 is taking place from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, showcasing and promoting different solutions and opportunities that may improve the lives of people around the world. Projects aim to accomplish this by “promoting alternative employment and income opportunities, women in the workplace, competitive products and services and improved market access.”
Overview
Expo 2020 Dubai is the latest of the world’s fairs with the official theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” plus different sub-theming of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. The Expo 2020 is taking place in the Middle East for the first time. Until construction began at the site of the expo, the Expo occurred in an area of empty desert. The layout of the Expo is a vast 1,000-acre site comprising different zones in the shape of petals focusing on the sub-themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity.
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place, individuals must comply with strict precautions, including mask and vaccination requirements and occupancy limitations on the number of people present at the Expo. One of the other crucial aspects of the Expo 2020 Dubai is that there is a record 191 countries participating and each nation has its own area or pavilion. The Expo is partnering with the United Nations, which has its own pavilion that focuses on its future goals, including sustainability. Once the expo ends at the close of March 2022, “around 80% of the built Expo will transition into residential, business and commercial developments.”
Expo 2020 Dubai Addresses Global Poverty
At the Kenya pavilion, some innovators show their solutions to the country’s problems of “unemployment, poverty and food shortages” through “home farming” using basic hydroponic systems. Dr. Peter Chege Gichuku established Hydroponics Africa Limited in Kenya in 2015 with the purpose and goals of eliminating “the root cause of poverty and food insecurity.” The company is hoping to “provide cost-effective sustainable farming methods without the use of soil and an 80% reduction in water.”
WaterAid provides an example of social development commitments. In Nepal, WaterAid promotes good hygiene practices by using Nepal’s routine immunization program as a “point of contact” to reach mothers and children. The Nepal Ministry of Health and Population leads the initiative with the “financial and technical support” of WaterAid. The project has a dual purpose of “[strengthening] Nepal’s routine immunization system by improving immunization coverage and people’s trust in immunization services” while simultaneously improving hygiene practices to prevent diseases stemming from poor hygiene practices.
Looking Ahead
Many more organizations are participating in Expo 2020 Dubai. They are promoting their solutions and putting forward ideas to address issues of global poverty. The Expo presents an ideal opportunity to present these new innovations to governments of all nations and their citizens. Global events such as Expo 2020 Dubai unite nations across the world with the understanding that global collaboration is necessary to address concerns of a global scale.
– Julian Smith
Photo: Flickr
Pret A Manger’s Mission to Alleviate Poverty
A History of Service
Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham first opened Pret A Manger with a commitment to sustainability and serving the community. “The work of the Pret Foundation in helping to address homelessness and poverty is really a huge part of the culture and history of Pret,” Nina Allard, global head of the Pret Foundation, told The Borgen Project in an interview.
Breadline poverty levels in Britain rose from about 17% to about 21% of households during the 1980s. Metcalfe and Beecham felt the need to act. They gave away the shop’s unsold food to the homeless every day at closing time, a legacy they continue today. The Pret Foundation has expanded that effort internationally, collaborating with and supporting charities in London, Paris and Hong Kong.
Allard has noted that, now, corporations are increasingly aware of their social responsibilities. “Companies are expected to look at how they can better serve society. I think Pret goes farther than that. For Pret, it’s not just a checkbox exercise, and that’s great,” she said.
Pret A Manger’s Mission to Help the Hungry
The Pret Foundation partners with other charities in the United Kingdom, as well as in France and Hong Kong, to distribute food to the homeless. These include Fareshare and The Felix Project in the U.K., Feeding Hong Kong in Hong Kong and the charities Epicerie Alimentaire, Rendez Leur Le Sourire, Secours Populaire and Restos Du Coeur in France. In collaboration with these partners, in 2020, the Pret Foundation donated £1.5 million worth of stock from Pret A Manger warehouses and 7.3 million Pret shop items globally.
In 2006, the Pret Foundation began what is now the annual Pret Charity Run, an event in which a fleet of eight vans deliver unsold food to hostels, homeless shelters and charities in London. During the first Charity Run, the Pret Foundation gave food to more than 120 charities. The 2021 Pret Charity Run took place in Paris.
Pret A Manger’s Mission to Help the Homeless
In addition to food donations to the homeless, the Pret Foundation initiated the Rising Stars Programme in 2008. This 12-week training program seeks to equip homeless individuals with the knowledge necessary to become Pret A Manger employees. “They follow exactly the same pathway as any other Pret employee. There’s just a bit more support in place,” Allard said.
Approximately 75% of the Rising Stars graduate from the program and nearly half of those graduates stay with Pret A Manger for more than a year. One particular Rising Star now has a 10-year-long career as an employee of Pret A Manger, now working as an assistant manager. Regardless of whether or not Rising Stars remain Pret employees, the skills they acquire through the program broadens their opportunities and brightens their futures.
The Pret House is an extension of this program, which provides Rising Stars with free housing. The Pret Foundation has partnered with the charity West London Mission St. Luke’s (WLM) in order to support Rising Stars holistically. WLM St. Luke’s advises them on how to open a bank account and assists them in properly managing their finances while improving their literacy and computer skills.
Allard explains that the Pret Foundation’s approach to lifting people out of homelessness comes from its goal to end a vicious cycle. “It’s really tricky to get a job if you don’t have a home. If you don’t have a home, it’s really tricky to get a job. We saw that as a real barrier,” she said. The Pret House intends to break down that barrier, giving people “the best chance of succeeding in the Rising Stars Programme,” according to Allard.
Continuing the Legacy
The Pret Foundation aims to scale up its initiatives. “We’d love to be able to recruit more Rising Stars,” Allard expressed. The team would also like to have more discussions with Pret A Manger employees and customers about the Foundation’s work, making it an inclusive and unified effort to streamline the initiative. The Pret Foundation is in the process of trialing cashless donation terminals in Pret A Manger shops. This enables customers to easily contribute to the cause.
Pret A Manger does not take its capacity to contribute to a more equal society for granted. The Pret Foundation continues to successfully uphold this responsibility.
– Safira Schiowitz
Photo: Flickr
Apnalaya Fights for the Urban Poor in India
India is facing rapid urbanization, with a significant percentage of the population now living in urban areas. In 2020, India’s urban population stood at 34.93%. However, this rapid urbanization also has negative consequences, mostly because of poor urban planning, lack of infrastructure and inadequate housing. Due to these inadequacies, the urban poor in India lives in overcrowded slums where access to basic amenities such as water, electricity and proper sanitation are limited, if present at all. With limited infrastructure and unequal access to health care and education, people find themselves trapped in the cycle of poverty with few chances of escape. However, organizations such as Apnalaya work to assist the urban poor and improve their quality of life.
About Apnalaya
Founded in 1973, Apnalaya is an NGO that aids the urban poor in India, in particular, the slums of Mumbai, by providing access to the essential services necessary for the population to thrive. With 76 staff members, Apnalaya’s focal sectors consist of education, “health, rights protection [and] economic empowerment,” with the overall aim of enabling the most impoverished citizens to live “a better quality of life.”
Apnalaya’s mission and impact have reached the hearts of many, inspiring people to support the cause. Apnalaya’s supporters include the HT Parekh Foundation, the University of Oxford, United Way and Dasra. Additionally, Apnalaya has received aid from a famous cricket star, Sachin Tendulkar, who sponsors 200 children annually through the organization. Apnalaya has gained recognition for its work on a national level, receiving the Champion Level – GuideStar India Platinum award in 2017 due to its impressive “levels of transparency and public accountability.”
The Mission
Apnalaya’s mission is to provide essential services, health care access and educational opportunities as well as training through mentor-led programs to assist people in becoming self-sufficient. Another key part of Apnalaya’s work is civic engagement and advocacy. Apnalaya advocates for the government to provide more resources to improve conditions in the slums of Mumbai while simultaneously leading sessions to help the urban poor learn how to advocate for their own rights.
The Health Programme
Apnalaya’s Health Programme helps break the cycle of poverty by educating people about children’s health issues, maternal health and disability identification, among other core issues. Apnalaya also facilitates access to government health care services and provides community information on how to seek the necessary health care. Since 2010, the Health Programme has aided in decreasing the percentage of underweight children in the slums of Mumbai from a staggering 60% to 40% while increasing the rate of hospital births from 71% to a high of 98%. Additionally, in the past four years, Apnalaya has played a role in boosting immunization rates from 29% to 73%.
The Education and Livelihood Programme
The Education and Livelihood Programme of Apnalaya works to inculcate vital skills in the youth and adults in order to improve their financial situations and increase employment opportunities. Apnalaya also plays an integral role in breaking cultural barriers for women whose families restrict them from working. Apnalaya provides sewing classes and training to these women in an effort to provide skills they can use to earn money. The organization also establishes Self Help groups, which have led to almost 210 female members receiving economic benefits due to the valuable information and advice.
Apnalaya believes education is necessary in order to break the cycle of poverty and increase chances of employment while becoming informed citizens. Apnalaya’s Education and Livelihood Programme also works to provide education, vocational training and entrepreneurial opportunities. Since 2014, the program has given monetary assistance to support the education of 750 children “while providing income-generating opportunities to [more than] 1,100 youth and women.
Citizenship and Advocacy Programme
Oftentimes, the urban poor in India and other places face marginalization and their governments overlook them, debilitating their ability to improve their circumstances and make their voices heard. Many of the people living in these slums are migrants. Additionally, the official “census and other official surveys often do not account for them, which further silences their voices and the voice of the community at large. Apnalaya’s Citizenship and Advocacy Programme works to empower people to become self-sufficient informed citizens who are aware of their rights. This program helps communities identify their challenges and helps them express their issues to the government. As of 2018, the initiative has provided civic action training to almost 180 people, thus broadly impacting 18,300 people overall.
Besides inspiring community members to take action, Apnalaya itself advocates on behalf of these individuals to the government for an increased number of essential services. Apnalaya also works with other organizations and creates awareness about urban poverty through social media.
While urban poverty in India is still a dire issue, NGOs like Apnalaya are continuing to fight for the voiceless, working to create a society where every individual, regardless of economic status, has access to the basic amenities to fulfill their basic needs and guarantee their core human rights.
– Shikha Surupa
Photo: Pixabay
The Expansion of Digital Health Care in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a land-locked country located on the eastern side of the African continent, making up the greater part of the distinctive “Horn of Africa.” It is home to one of the fastest-growing populations in the world, increasing by around 2.5% annually. Ethiopia’s manual, primarily paper-based health care system has proven to be ill-equipped and ineffective at efficiently providing for citizens. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made the inadequacy of the country’s current system even more apparent. It propelled the development and expansion of digital health care in Ethiopia.
The Need for Digital Health Care
As of 2020, the World Bank still classifies Ethiopia as a low-income country (LCI). Nearly half of the country’s population lives below the international poverty line. More than 18% were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2021. This is a result of the pandemic among other recent hardships, including drought and internal conflict.
The current life expectancy in Ethiopia is 66.24 years at birth, well below the world average of 72.6 years. This is largely due to the “severe underfunding of the health sector,” resulting in an inadequate number of existing health institutions, the inefficient delivery of medical supplies and great challenges when it comes to extending much-needed health services to those living in pastoral areas.
With 79% of Ethiopians residing in rural lands, this is a huge problem. Furthermore, greater than 50% of the population must walk more than 6 miles to reach the nearest health facility, according to the JDC study. This means that many Ethiopians go untreated for conditions such as malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis and COVID-19. The expansion of digital health care in Ethiopia will help mitigate disparities between rural and urban areas. It could extend the reach of health care providers to those in need.
The United States’ Role
In December 2019, just before the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health. It invested $63 million in Ethiopia’s health sector. The project launched in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, with the name “Digital Health Activity” or DHA.
The Digital Health Activity aims to modernize Ethiopia’s health information systems in the following ways:
By the end of its first year, the DHA had already made great progress. Its first annual report showed that the DHA provided supervised assistance to more than 3,000 health facilities.
It trained 1,100 health care professionals in open-source software to better collect and manage health data. The DHA also created an online ordering system. This allows health facilities to process orders more efficiently and provide medications to patients in a more timely manner.
Digital Health Care and COVID-19
The Digital Health Innovation and Learning Center (DHILC) experienced its inauguration as the first of its kind in August 2020 in Addis Ababa. The Ministry of Health funded the center in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It serves a variety of purposes, including the development and testing of new digital applications. This will help revolutionize health care in Ethiopia as well as the establishment of a call center to offer remote support to users.
The prediction is that the DHILC would solve approximately “85% of users’ minor health information system-related problems.” It has been crucial in the testing and development of applications related to COVID-19.
There are now several apps that aid in the management of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. This includes a toll-free recording app that has provided accurate and reliable COVID-19 health information. Various applications work to educate patients on COVID-19, screen travelers for the virus and deliver timely test results. They provide contact tracing services and help manage the spread of the virus in Ethiopia.
The development of digital health care in Ethiopia was long overdue. But thanks to the innovative efforts of the Ministry of Health and USAID, citizens who once struggled to obtain access to quality health care can now access it remotely.
By providing more accurate information and up-to-date training for professionals, this new age of digital care has the potential to raise Ethiopia from low to middle-income status. It could improve the health and well-being of citizens in every area of the country.
– Hannah Gage
Photo: Flickr
5 Poverty Reduction Initiatives in India
Since the 2000s, India has made great strides towards decreasing poverty. Between 2011 and 2019, some 262 million people rose above the poverty level. While the COVID-19 outbreak reversed this trend, India expects to make a comeback thanks to its government initiatives addressing poverty. Here are five poverty reduction initiatives in India.
How Poverty Reduction Initiatives in India Have Helped
The government’s investment in these five poverty reduction initiatives in India, among others, helped decrease India’s poverty rate tremendously. Each individual initiative provides the impoverished with effective ways and resources to escape poverty. Like the NRLM states, the impoverished have strong desires to overcome poverty and have the capabilities to do so. All it takes is initiative.
– Destiny Jackson
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts About Infectious Diseases in Madagascar
Madagascar is an island country off the southeastern coast of Africa. It is famous for its unique climate, vibrant ecosystems and a Disney movie bearing its namesake. However, despite its colorful outward appearance Madagascar is not only a country that has been struggling with the burdens of extreme poverty. It is also a country that has strived to respond to the constant risks of infectious diseases in Madagascar that are rampant throughout its population.
5 Facts About Infectious Diseases in Madagascar
Looking Ahead
As the world collectively becomes intimately aware of the threats of infectious diseases, especially in cases where there is no supporting health infrastructure, the circumstances of people like those in Madagascar become plainly dire. There are measures to take and aid to disperse that would solve many of these problems. While there is a long way to go, Madagascar continues to work in the hopes of preserving its people and ensuring their safety.
– John J. Lee
Photo: Fickr
Ending Mexico’s Digital Divide
The Importance of Universal Internet Access
Internet access is pivotal for reducing global poverty, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the internet, people have greater access to education, which is important when schools are not in session and learning is remote. The children of families who lack internet access and equipment to connect to it fall behind in school and may drop out or fail grades. Access to the internet also enables people to speak with health care professionals digitally, whether for physical or mental health purposes. The pandemic has caused an increase in mental health crises as well as suicides. The internet allows people to find resources to help them through crises.
Internet access is also useful for communication. With it, people can reach out to family and friends on social media. They can contact their leaders via email or access leaders’ mailing information and phone numbers. If people in poverty do not know the proper ways to get in touch with policymakers, they cannot effectively advocate for legislation that improves poverty and officials will not know how many of their constituents want such legislation.
Along with improving communication and access to services, internet access improves commerce through online buying and selling. This benefit to commerce in conjunction with the jobs internet infrastructure and activity create boosts the economy while lifting people out of poverty. Thus, internet access contributes greatly to reducing poverty, yet less than half of Mexico’s population has access to the internet.
Why Mexico’s Digital Divide Exists
In Mexico, the wealthiest states have a larger percentage of households with internet access in comparison to the most impoverished states. For example, in Sonora and Baja California Sur, 72% and 76% of households have internet access respectively. Meanwhile, in Chiapas and Oaxaca, only 13% and 21% of households have internet. Part of the reason for Mexico’s digital divide is the former monopoly the firm Carlos Slim held that kept prices for data plans and internet connections too high for lower-income households.
Prior to 2013, Mexico’s people did not have guaranteed internet access and internet-related investments went toward wealthier areas that already had access. Part of the reason for this was the mindset that it would be more worthwhile to invest further in the wealthiest areas instead of the more impoverished ones. The internet also gives people with access to it more of a voice with the ability to communicate their wants and needs quicker than the wants and needs of people without the internet. However, the Mexican government is making greater efforts to expand internet access to everyone.
Measures to End Mexico’s Digital Divide
Since amending the constitution in 2013, Mexico has invested almost $1 billion into its “Mexico Conectado” initiative. This initiative focuses on ensuring public facilities such as schools and libraries in rural areas have broadband connections. This way, even if people do not have the internet at home, they can go somewhere to access it for free. Additionally, the country has created about 7,200 computing hubs. These locations not only provide free internet but also teach visitors how to use the web, build resumes and learn other valuable skills.
Mexico has experienced an increase in internet users following the breaking up of Carlos Slim’s monopoly as well. The government’s dismantling of the firm’s monopoly has allowed for more competition among providers in the Mexican market, giving people more affordable options in terms of plans, services and providers. The country saw a drop in the percentage of people in poverty, from 46% to 43% by 2016, after guaranteeing internet access and eliminating the communications monopoly.
The disaster relief group Team Rubicon and the NGO NetHope have also been working to get free internet access to refugees, migrants and NGOs aiding them. Together, they set up networks and Wi-Fi for centers serving refugees and migrants while establishing local access points anyone can use. Having internet access enables refugees and migrants to keep in touch with friends and family in addition to staying informed about disasters they may be fleeing from.
The Future of Internet Access in Mexico
Though Mexico’s digital divide remains large and the constitution’s guarantee of internet access for all remains unfulfilled, the situation is continuing to improve. The number of internet users, providers and facilities with free internet access is increasing. With the expansion of the internet comes the reduction of poverty. Once Mexico’s digital divide finally closes, the country will see significant economic benefits.
– Nate Ritchie
Photo: Flickr
Mobile Phone Data Can Improve Disease Response in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) “has the third-largest population of [impoverished people] globally.” The coronavirus has hit the DRC’s economy hard, further reducing the country’s capacity to fight disease. One advancement in disease response in the DRC is the government’s use of mobile phone data for population mapping, which helps create public health policies for COVID-19 and could do the same for other prevalent diseases in the country in the future.
Ties Between Disease, War, Poverty and COVID-19 in the DRC
The DRC has historically faced challenges in combatting cholera, malaria, HIV, measles, Ebola and Rift Valley fever. Factors contributing to the challenges in combatting disease include a weak health care system, low laboratory capacity, a lack of plans regarding border lockdowns for disease containment and a lack of information about vaccination and disease prevention for the public.
Additionally, the DRC endured a civil war from 1997 to 2003. The civil war ravaged the country’s infrastructure and the ongoing political instability in the country currently poses obstacles for aid workers to safely enter the country. The effects of the civil war also reduce the government’s ability to fight prevalent diseases in the DRC.
Furthermore, in 2019, the DRC’s economic growth stood at 4.4%. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the DRC’s economic growth shrank to 0.8% in 2020. The slowdown in economic growth has made it even more difficult for improved disease response in the DRC.
Using Mobile Phones to Combat COVID-19
Low-income countries, including the DRC, struggle with data collection. However, data collection is vital in order to provide government officials with information to make sound public health decisions. The good news is that the DRC is starting to utilize mobile phone data for population mapping to combat COVID-19, which could greatly improve the DRC’s response to other diseases as well.
Orange DRC, a telecommunications company, provides anonymized mobile phone data to a marketing company called Kinshasa Digital. Using the phone data, Kinshasa Digital is constructing a dashboard for the DRC so that health officials can follow population movement after implementing various public health policies. The dashboard is useful because it allows the government to follow the spread of COVID-19 and use this data to create policies that will be most beneficial for the public’s health.
Data-Informed Responses
In addition, Vodacom DRC, a mobile carrier, and Flowminder, a company that analyzes mobile data, have created a report utilizing call detail records that analyzes how population movement patterns in Kinshasa’s Gombe district have changed in response to the DRC’s COVID-19 confinement policies. The report indicates “a drop of 70% in the total flow of subscribers traveling to Gombe after the confinement,” which shows that many people are complying with the government’s policies.
The creators shared the report with government officials. Reports like these can help the government measure how effective its public health policies are. As the technology and analytics industries develop, these reports can further improve the government’s response to COVID-19 and possibly other diseases too.
The DRC faces challenges in disease response, but the current innovation with mobile phone data to create more effective COVID-19 policies shows a promising development. As mobile phone companies, analytics companies and the government continue to work together, disease response in the DRC as a whole could greatly improve.
– Anna Ryu
Photo: Unsplash
Brazilians Fight Amazon Deforestation Through Song
The Amazon forest is a critically important ecosystem and natural resource. It spans more than 2.3 million square miles and is home to around 30 million people. The Amazon lumber trade has left vast portions of the forest depleted and unsuitable for living or farming. After more than 15 years, Amazon deforestation rates have reached an all-time high. A recent publication by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research states that deforestation rates have surged 22% from 2020, with the lumber trade exploiting 13,235 km2 of the forest.
Amazon Deforestation and Poverty
Impoverished Amazonian communities rely on the rainforest for natural resources, food and water. However, once those resources disappear, it takes years, if not decades, for them to become replenished. Despite Indigenous communities standing as the best caretakers of the forest, their efforts do not match the power of international traders and the government.
Survival International, an Indigenous people’s rights organization, has described the Awa people of Brazil as “the most threatened tribe on earth” because loggers and ranchers constantly threaten their homeland and reservation. A local woman named Pirai expressed to BBC that “loggers, farmers, hunters, invaders… they are all coming back, they are killing all our forest.” Illegal logging pushes into land designated to various tribes. These communities face the harsh realities of Amazon deforestation, like decreases in biodiversity, which leads to changes in ecosystems and possible food sources.
Today, legal and illegal logging, cattle farms and soy farms have destroyed about 18% of the forest. However, in recent years the destruction of the rainforest has soared following the election of President Jair Bolsonaro. The Bolsonaro government has proposed several bills with the agenda of loosening environmental protections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With Brazil standing as one of the largest exporters of beef and lumber, President Bolsonaro has prioritized economic gain at the expense of ecological and societal protections.
SOS Amazon
Despite efforts of law enforcement to halt illegal lumber trade practices in the Amazon, the Bolsonaro government has dismissed several officers for enforcing environmental protections. After being assigned to the Amazon region for more than 10 years, Police Chief Alexandre Saraiva became one of those cases because of his commitment to combating Amazon deforestation. After leading Brazil’s largest illegal lumber bust and investigating former Brazilian Environmental Minister Ricardo Salles, President Bolsonaro demoted and relocated Saraiva to an area of Brazil that is nowhere near the Amazon forest.
In response to his relocation and demotion, Saraiva teamed up with songwriter Christina Saraiva and Brazilian singer Esther to create the song “SOS Amazon.” Saraiva and Ester released the song on YouTube prior to the 2021 United Nations Climate Summit to raise awareness among wealthy nations about their roles in Amazon deforestation. According to Reuters, Saraiva “estimated that 90% of export papers are forged to hide their origins.” Therefore, the illegal lumber trade continues to be detrimental to the prosperity of the forest and local populations. The lyrics express that “the earth bleeds and burn. The fire flies and kills. I can’t lie and rest. I can’t just stay still.”
These powerful words convey that the Amazon forest is essential to the prosperity of the earth and local population and many impoverished communities’ futures rest on saving the rainforest. Saraiva expressed that “the Amazon is ours, Brazilian, but the obligation to preserve it is also ours. The international community needs to do their part by [ending the] acquiring [of] illegal Brazilian timber.” Wealthy nations must hear Saraiva’s message that local people and their livelihoods, in addition to vital natural resources, are suffering and dying because of Amazon deforestation, which may prompt them to end deforestation and save Amazonian communities.
How to Help the Amazon and its People
Often, when natural resources and habitats are in danger, everyday people feel powerless to create change. However, people can do plenty from the comfort of their own homes. One great way to start thinking about change is by learning about the issue. When people become educated on specific topics, they often feel more empowered to help. Another way to help is by checking one’s carbon footprint and cutting down on paper usage.
According to Reuters, the top buyer of illegally processed wood is the European Union. As a result, ordinary people can prompt change by calling local representatives to support legislation that aids in rebuilding the Amazon instead of destroying it. Thousands of people making little changes in their lives to support the Amazon could create big impacts and brighter futures.
– Hannah Eliason
Photo: Unsplash
Peru’s Economic Growth Predicted to Exceed 13%
For several decades, the World Bank classified Peru’s economy as one of the fastest-expanding economies. While this is true, this expansion slowed between 2014-2019. This led to an 11.1% drop in economic growth in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The drop caused job sectors to slow down, though others surged in their place. Despite the fall, there is good news: Peru’s economic growth could increase by 13% at the end of the fiscal year 2021.
What is Economic Growth?
The improvement or decline in the market value of goods or services produced measures economic growth. The more goods and services produced or traded, the more money that goes to the economy. The changes in a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) typically measure economic growth. With economic growth comes increased salaries, job availability and standards of living.
There are two primary methods to improve economic growth: improved goods, both technological and physical (capital) and tools that help increase production. Both avenues traditionally lead to economic growth. In this case, both methods explain why Peru’s GDP had a decline in 2020 and how Peru’s economy has recovered since then.
Peru’s Economic Foundation
Peru’s economy has experienced its ups and downs. The economy is based in the services sector, with telecommunications and financial services being the most significant. Services contribute to 60% of the overall GDP, with industries providing 35% to the GDP. However, reforms in the industry are a result of the changes in the mining industry. As Peruvian industries shrink, the telecommunications and services sectors grow.
Although mining was the primary source of income for Peru’s economy, the industry had the highest recorded fall in production ever. Many mining companies had to minimize the number of workers they could allow at a time in the mines and processing plants. The minimization cut production and output with a 13% reduction in copper production and processing. With the reduction in mining work and production output, other sectors stepped up to fill the job gap and start contributing to Peru’s GDP more significantly than in the past.
Improvements in 2020 and 2021
The downturn in Peru’s economy in 2020 left 27% of the population in poverty, as the World Bank reported. The additional 2 million people who slid into poverty highlighted the growing poverty rate in Peru. However, hope is on the horizon.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the telecommunications sector expanded. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommunications were slow to grow in Peru. Back in 2012, the Peruvian government passed law 29985, explicit approval of the usage of electronic money. Law 29985 showed the government’s willingness to explore technology and expand its place in Peru. However, there were still barriers to the use of e-money. In 2012, many Peruvians still lacked access to the internet, computers, and technology needed to access e-money.
Advantages of Technology
Technology in Peru improved in 2020 when most services, including banking, went remote. The number of individuals using e-money increased by an average of 1,000 new users in specific e-money platforms a month. With new internet platform users and increased internet usage came new jobs and the potential for economic gain.
Historically, increased online usage leads to job opportunities through expanded internet and broadband access, especially in areas that lacked immediate internet access. In 2020 and 2021, there were increases in job openings and hirings in the telecommunications sector across Peru. Jobs in telecommunications filled rapidly in 2021, with the most considerable growth taking place in June 2021.
Expected Economic Growth
Telecommunications and its contributions to Peru’s economy have steadily climbed since 2014. In 2019, telecommunications generated a revenue of approximately $6.3 billion. With the expected economic growth stemming from growing telecommunications, the sector’s contributions to the GDP could be even higher by the end of the year. This could make telecommunications one of the most significant contributors to the GDP in Peru’s service sector.
With the newly opened and added jobs, the Peruvian services and telecommunications sectors have grown. This is allowing the sectors to increase their income and contributions to Peru’s economy. Thus, enabling the GDP to expand and retain economic growth as well. As the market opens and job availability grows, the Peruvian government predicts that Peru’s economic growth will grow by 13%. With Peru’s projected economic growth, there is an excellent likelihood that the poverty rate could shrink at least 1% to 2%, if not more.
– Clara Mulvihill
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